Comb-crested Jacana
Irediparra gallinacea
This species is unmistakable. It has a black crown and hindneck with a fleshy red wattle covering the forehead and forecrown, contrasting with a white face and throat. The comb is pinker in breeding adults, more orange when not breeding. There is a broad black band on the lower breast with white belly. The underwing and flight feathers, which show most prominently in flight, are black. Back and upperwing mainly grey-brown with black primary coverts, rump and tail. The long legs with extremely long toes trail in flight. The male is slightly smaller than the female and measures 20–22 cm (7.9–8. Voice: This species gives a squeaky, high-pitched chittering, also described as a shrill trill with an explosive soft bugle.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lesser Jacana
Microparra capensis
The smallest species in the Jacanidae family, the lesser jacana is 15–16 cm tall and weighs 41g. It has a white breast, golden forehead, cinnamon crown, and dark eyestripe. Its mantle and wings are also darker. As other jacanas, they have long legs and claws which are adapted for walking on lily-pads and aquatic grasses – which is why jacanas are sometimes referred to as lily trotters or Jesus birds because they appear as though they are walking on the surface of the water. Lesser jacana eggs resemble African jacana eggs but are smaller. Voice: Lesser jacanas have been observed to make five distinct vocalizations. The first of these is a distress call that the lesser jacana will produce when its chicks are approached, a chatter that sounds like "hwi hwi hwi …." The most common vocalization is a melodic, low-pitch "woot" produced by both sexes.
ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Play today's Daily BirdPhotos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Comb-crested Jacana and Lesser Jacana.